Trump administration sues University of California for alleged antisemitism

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Trump administration on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the University of California (UC) for what it described as "engaging in a hostile work environment against Jewish and Israeli faculty and staff at its University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) campus."

The lawsuit, filed in the federal district court in Los Angeles, accused the university of having "turned a blind eye to - and at times facilitated - grossly antisemitic acts and systematically ignored cries for help from its own terrified Jewish and Israeli employees."

"Based on our investigation, UCLA administrators allegedly allowed virulent anti-Semitism to flourish on campus, harming students and staff alike," U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement.

In July 2025, the Trump administration suspended around 584 million U.S. dollars in federal research grants for UCLA, citing allegations of failed responses to antisemitism. In August, the Trump administration demanded UCLA pay a 1-billion-dollar settlement to resolve accusations of antisemitism.

A federal judge of the Northern District of California ordered the Trump administration to restore 500 million dollars in UCLA medical research grants in September.

In the spring of 2024, pro-Palestinian demonstrations swept across college campuses in the United States, including at several of UC's 10 campuses. Over 200 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested on May 2, 2024 as police moved to dismantle an encampment at UCLA.